Already known in the art are bindings of at least the lateral release type which comprise a vertical pivot rigidly attached to the ski, a binding unit mounted for rotation on the pivot and comprising means for retaining the boot, a locking system mounted in the binding unit and assuring a firm hold of the boot on the ski, this locking system comprising resilient means opposing a vertical retention force and a lateral retention force, respectively, acting to cause lifting and lateral shifting of the boot, and which is pre-adjusted to permit release of the boot when it is subjected to predetermined constraints; and a compensating mechanism which acts against the action of the resilient means so as to cause the lateral retention force due to the locking system to vary in inverse ratio to the variation in the vertical retention force, this compensating mechanism comprising on the one hand, two elements movably mounted in the binding unit and forced against a rigid body by the locking system and, on the other hand, a member tied to the vertical movements of the boot-retaining means, said member cooperating with one of the movable elements to separate it from the rigid body when the retaining means are displaced vertically, while it exerts no force on the second movable element which is pressed against said rigid body.
The object of the present invention is an improvement for this type of compensating binding, in accordance with which the locking system comprises a resilient device one of whose extremities rests on one of the movable elements and the other of whose extremities rests on a part that is rigidly connected to the other movable element, thus assuring that the movable elements are forced against the rigid body.
In the preferred embodiment, in which the rigid body comprises the fixed pivot, the latter presents two diametrcially opposed flat parts, and each of the elements is pressed against one of these. In addition, at least one of the movable elements has an extension in the direction of the other element in relation to the pivot. The resilient device is thus inserted between the second movable element and the extension of the first movable element, and it forces the two elements on either side of the pivot.
In accordance with one possible embodiment, one at least of the two movable elements is so mounted that it is capable of translatory motion within the binding unit. In another embodiment, at least one of the movable elements can swing about an axis so that it can be separated from the pivot. Moreover, the opposing flat parts of the pivot or of the rigid body advantageously have different dimensions (in particular their width), and the movable element that cooperates with the member tied to the vertical movements of the fastening means rests on the flat part having the greater dimension.